Discussion ¬

Behind all this, Gina doesn’t mention, is being interested in your people. And how they’re doing, professionally and, where necessary, personally. Sometimes people are distracted by drama at home. Gina also doesn’t cover the stark reality: A lot of drama is economic. Not enough money, too many bills. And it’s not always just a matter of pay; the other stark reality is that money goes away because of accident, because of illness, because of a dependent’s needs (medical or similar) or somebody else’s improvidence, i.e., they think the money came from On High, not the place mommy or daddy works.

Dealing with the problems your people are having will make you realize the necessity of a fence — a limit beyond which you cannot go. I’m sorry your wife is a spendthrift, but we have only so much overtime to go around. I’m sorry your little girl is so sick – have you let Human Resources know? Sometimes the company can be a great help. Sometimes not. You have to be prepared for when it’s not, and deal with a worker whose problems will always interfere with their life — at work and at home. If you care for your people as you should, this is going to hurt. A great deal. You have to develop a nurse’s reflexes to pain that can be helped and pain that must be borne. There is a limit to your own skills and energy, and if you’re not in Human Relations, a limit to what you can do about it.

All of which gets in the way of helping people achieve what they’re capable of achieving — which may not be in the mailroom in the long run. In this respect, managing is a lot like teaching: You’re preparing people for a life beyond this job, one that satisfies their need to do well and to provide for the people they love. You must not stand in their way, but let them go with a smile. And then pick their replacement. If you’re lucky, all your people will leave, in time, to better opportunities. We’ll talk about the people lucky to be holding a job in your mailroom at all for another, bleaker day.